Thursday, June 09, 2011

NBC has finally scheduled its comedy Friends with Benefits. But it is only a burn-off, as they didn't air it during the 2010-11 season, thus it has a 100% chance of not returning, like last summer's 100 Questions. Even more so, it will be airing Saturdays at 8:00pm & 8:30pm starting June 25 and will run though July 30. NBC has 13 episodes in the can, but as of right now 12 will air. If it remains on the schedule, that is. Anyway, there is a sitcom to watch on Saturdays this summer, even though it is a burn-off and will not return beyond these episodes.From Brian Grazer, Friends With Benefits is a half-hour, single-camera comedy revolving around a group of twenty-something singles as they navigate the difficult, and often confusing, world of dating. Ben Weymouth (Ryan Hansen) is on the hunt for the perfect woman who meets his unique set of standards, while his best friend, Sara Maxwell (Danneel Harris), is just looking for a man to settle down with and raise a family. Ben and Sara have fallen into the habit of turning to each other for moral and physical support as they wait for Mr. and Ms. Right to arrive. Their friend Aaron (Fran Kranz), a romantic at heart, doesn't approve of Ben and Sara's complicated friendship, but he, along with womanizer Hoon (Ian Reed) and straight shooter Riley (Jessica Lucas), are all distracted with their own dating trials and tribulations.

In its latest high-profile acquisition, TNT has secured the exclusive off-network cable rights to the hit series, Castle, from Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Castle, which just completed its third highly rated season on ABC, is a crime drama starring Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Desperate Housewives) and Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace, TNT's The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice).Castle (seasons 1 & 2) will begin airing on TNT in summer 2012. As part of TNT's TV Everywhere rollout, Castle will also be available for online viewing through mobile phones, tablets, computers and other devices.TNT's deal for Castle follows on the heels of the network's recent acquisition of Hawaii Five-0, which will join the TNT lineup in 2014. TNT has also landed the popular series The Mentalist, which recently enjoyed a strong opening in its Wednesday 7-9 p.m. timeslot. It is unclear when Castle seasons 3 and beyond will air on TNT. I would assume that would start in Fall 2013.Look for Castle to land a weekend local syndication deal soon as well and that should start in Fall 2012 or 2013 (and that would be all seasons to date rather than just the first two seasons). Stay tuned

Modern Family - "I Love a Parade" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan are going to be setting off more than a few fireworks when they get together at the annual Fourth of July parade where Jay will be acting as the grand marshal. Meanwhile, Haley’s goodbye with Arvin before his trip to Switzerland doesn’t go as well as she pictured it and is distracted by the return of an old flame.

Single Parents - "Beyoncé Circa Lemonade" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After scolding Miggy for not being able to sleep-train baby Jack, Angie and Douglas engage in a competition to see who can sleep-train the baby in one night. While Angie and Douglas have the baby, Miggy takes over babysitting Graham, Rory, Sophie, Emma and Amy, which results in an impromptu kids’ party. Meanwhile, Poppy teaches Will how to take out his anger on the volleyball court.

The Goldbergs - "We Didn't Start the Fire" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Erica tells Beverly she is going to spend the first night of Hanukkah with Geoff and his family, Beverly worries and starts a competition for who hosts the best Hanukkah party. Meanwhile, Barry seeks advice from Pops on how to be cool and suggests entering into the school's talent show.

American Housewife - "Body Image" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After the previous “fattest housewife” in Westport gets plastic surgery to lose weight, Chloe Brown Mueller rubs it in Katie’s face that Katie has now assumed that title. In order to get revenge on Chloe, Katie goes through great lengths to dig up bad photos of Chloe from high school. In discussing body image with the kids, Katie and her mother, Kathryn, turn out to be bad influences on Anna-Kat and Taylor, unintentionally encouraging them to focus too much on the outward appearance. Over time, Katie realizes how judgmental she has become and that she is part of the problem.

Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error: Lady, Killer/Kristin) - Kristin is a guest on a repeat of ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.

Brooke Nevin (Call Me Fitz) and Michael Cassidy (People of Earth/Men at Work) - Brooke and Michael talk about the Hallmark Channel original Jingle Around the Clock on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.